Tipperary seize the day but not all is said and Dunne yet

First blood, or a bloody curse? These two have been involved in such mind games since the draw for the Munster championship first pitted them together (once Tipperary get over Kerry) - the countdown is on, five weeks and ticking - that yesterday's league semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds, effectively a dress rehearsal that neither side wanted, could never be deemed the real thing. And it wasn't.

Yet, as a yardstick, it was a pretty useful tool, especially for Tipperary. While the stickwork was some way removed from the height of summer, and players were a yard or two slower in both thought and deed, Tipperary's win emphasised two things that we already suspected: one, they are headed in the right direction if still some way removed from their desired destination; and, two, that Tommy Dunne, their captain, is absolutely vital to any aspirations.

This was a game that lacked all the white-heat, intensity and passion of the championship. On another day, Clare players and management and their supporters in the crowd of 23,228 would have been spitting fire at a couple of decisions by umpires in the second-half that resulted in 65s and automatic points from Dunne's hurley. Not a whimper yesterday. No-one jumping out of dug-outs. Silence, and no recriminations afterwards. Does that tell us anything?

Another thing. Clare hauled ashore both midfielders, Colin Lynch and Ollie Baker, during the fray. By choice. So, Declan Carr, plucked out of club intermediate hurling in Dublin to return to top inter-county hurling, had a big day. But still?

It's likely to be all so different on June 6th when the two meet again. And, still, yesterday's league appetiser had its moments. Most memorable was probably Dunne's exquisite execution of a sideline cut four minutes from time that put Tipperary back into the lead and stemmed the flow of four successive Clare points that had re-ignited the game.

Dunne's influence was the main factor in Tipperary edging home, but not far behind him was Declan Ryan who undoubtedly won the personal duel with his marker Sean McMahon and, apart from scoring two fine points from play, also provided the final pass to team-mates for other scores.

Overall, it was a good afternoon's work from the Tipperary half-forward line and any doubts that arose about the attack concerned the inside line with only Paul Shelley perhaps sure of his summer role.

The ebb and flow of the opening moments provided lively enough fare, and Dunne set the trend for his afternoon's work by shooting three points - one from play, another from a free, and a third from a sideline cut - in the opening six minutes after which Tipperary led 0-4 to 0-1.

However, shortly after Clare's Ronan O'Hara was a victim of the re-laid turf cuttings in front of the Tipperary goal, when failing to lift the ball and instead almost falling over himself, he made spectacular amends. Colin Lynch made a strong run from the heart of the pitch in the eighth minute and sent the sliotar goalwards. Brendan Cummins and Fergal Heaney hesitated, and O'Hara nipped in with intent to smash the ball to the net to give Clare the lead for the first time. At half-time, they still retained a two-point advantage, 1-7 to 0-8.

Clare's second-half performance could be split into four sections: poor, average, poor, and good. For three parts they allowed the initiative to swing Tipperary's way and a sign they were some way below their sharpest came in the 40th minute when Sean McMahon launched a huge free from more than 90 yards over the bar for a point to give them the lead again by 1-10 to 0-12. Normally, that action would have been a rallying call to his Clare team-mates - but, instead, Tipperary responded by scoring the next five points to open up a four-point gap.

Indeed, it seemed as if Clare's best hurling came out of adversity for they themselves reeled off four unanswered points in reply, only for Dunne to produce that outstanding sideline cut in the 56th minute to restore Tipperary's lead. It was a short-lived advantage as Alan Markham produced an equalising point in the 58th minute only for Dunne, fittingly, to have the last say when firing over his 12th point of the game, from a free, to give Tipperary a ticket into the final.

Tipperary: B Cummins; D Fahey, F Heaney, L Sheedy; R Ryan, D Kennedy, E Corcoran; E Enright, D Carr (0-1); T Dunne (0-12, five frees, three 65s, two sidelines), D Ryan (0-2), B O'Meara (0-3); L Cahill (0-1), P Shelley, D Browne. Subs: P Kelly for Browne (38 mins); B Horgan for R Ryan (40 mins); A Ryan for Cahill (50 mins).

Clare: D Fitzgerald; E Flannery, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, S McMahon (0-1, free), A Daly; C Lynch (0-1), O Baker; J O'Connor (0-7, six frees), N Gilligan (0-3), D Forde; A Markham (0- 2), R O'Hara (1-1), B Murphy. Subs: K Morrissey for Baker (38 mins); B Quinn for Lynch (52 mins); S McNamara for Murphy (58 mins).

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).